If you thought suitcases with wheels were handy, wait till you check out this new invention. It’s an electric suitcase that not only has wheels, but is also equipped with a small motor – so instead of carrying or dragging it, and you actually get to ride it wherever you need to go. Getting by in an airport will seem a breeze with this bad boy. You just sit on it, start it up, and go!

The 15-pound, battery-operated, drivable suitcase is the brainchild of Chinese amateur inventor He Liangcai. On a full charge, the suitcase can transport two adults at 12 mph for a distance of up to 37 miles. It also has GPS navigation and a burglar alarm.

Essentially, the device is an electric scooter with a suitcase attached to it. The riders sit on top of the suitcase, and the handlebars feature a throttle, brakes and lights switch. During a demonstration, Mr. He was able to ride the suitcase from his home to the Changsha train station in central Hunan province – a distance of about seven miles.

Mr. He said that he took 10 years to come up with the drivable scooter-suitcase. This isn’t his first invention – in 1999 he designed an award-winning car safety system. Mr. He lost his luggage while travelling to the US to collect the award, which is when he got the idea for the suitcase. Surprisingly, he is a farmer by profession, with very little formal education.

I quite like the idea of this drivable suitcase, especially because I hate waiting in lines at the airport. I’d love to be able to plonk myself on my luggage and just accelerate when it’s time to move!

Photos: CRI Online

via NDTV